On February 18, 2018, four thugs belonging to a vigilante group of Nigeria’s ruling party attacked Atabor Julius, a journalist with the Independent newspaper in Kogi State.
The vigilantes reportedly trailed Julius from the secretariat of the Nigeria Union Journalist (NUJ) and accosted him in a nearby restaurant where they assaulted, and threatened to kill him if he does not desist from producing critical reports about their political party, All Progressives Congress (APC).
According to our correspondent in Nigeria, two of the four attackers have been identified by name, but there have been no arrests so far. The incident has, however, been reported to the Division of the Kogi Police command in Lokoja.
The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) is condemns the attack on the journalist calls on the Police to investigate the matter and bring the perpetrators to face the law. We urge the leadership of the ruling party to condemn the attack and help the police track down the perpetrators.
